June 16, 2014 at 9:26 AM (PT)

Last week (NET NEWS 6/11), ALL ACCESS reported that NIELSEN AUDIO had released a statement describing the problems with the LOS ANGELES PPM, which will cause about a one-week delay in the release of data for not only MAY and week four, but a reissue of APRIL's monthly report.

While one household was removed for quality concerns, TODAY (6/16) we learn another household was removed with media affiliation to UNIVISION Regional Mexican KSCA.

UNIVISION Pres. JOSE VALLE released a statement saying, “UNIVISION is fully committed to quality data. NIELSEN recently reached out to inform us that a media affiliated household had been identified in LOS ANGELES, and that it was connected to a UNIVISION RADIO employee from the KSCA station. This household was separate from and unrelated to the prior problem that NIELSEN had identified in connection with the LOS ANGELES ratings. We commenced an investigation and took immediate action by terminating the employee based on our findings. We are cooperating fully with NIELSEN and the MRC to ensure the industry has quality data. A radio station employee being related to a NIELSEN participant seriously undermines the industry and is unacceptable. We will continue to cooperate fully and ensure the efficacy of our internal training and compliance programs, which will be ongoing across all UNIVISION stations.”

NIELSEN offered its own statement on the incident:

Subsequent to last week’s announcement about the delay in LOS ANGELES PPM Radio data, NIELSEN has learned that a media affiliated household participated in the LOS ANGELES sample during the MAY 2014 and APRIL 2014 report periods. We have removed this media affiliated household from the panel in addition to removing the household that did not meet our quality control standards last week.

Both households had been installed for an extended period. NIELSEN will conduct an impact analysis extending back over the last year and will provide the market with this analysis.

The behavior of a media affiliated household not self-reporting is a serious violation of data integrity standards.

NIELSEN is committed to upholding the highest standards of data integrity and acts swiftly to meet those standards. We will be taking a number of actions to minimize the risk of reoccurrence and ensure users of LOS ANGELES ratings data are adequately and prominently notified. Additionally, NIELSEN will be implementing an immediate and aggressive review of our policies and procedures to protect integrity of our panels. We will be transparent with the industry and share our plans as quickly as possible. “

NIELSEN will maintain the delivery schedule communicated last week. LOS ANGELES PPM data for the MAY 2014 report month and MAY Week Four (Weeklies data) will release on TUESDAY, JUNE 17th at 9a PT (noon ET). JUNE 2014 Week One data will also be released along with the MAY 2014 data on TUESDAY, JUNE 17th. Revised LOS ANGELES data for the APRIL 2014 report period will be released at 9a PT (noon ET) on THURSDAY JUNE 19th. All LOS ANGELES data releasing on JUNE 17th and 19th will reflect an in-tab sample that excludes both the media-affiliated household mentioned in this statement and the household we mentioned in our JUNE 9th announcement which is being removed from the panel because it failed to meet quality compliance standards unrelated to media-affiliation.